Ohio State has another title to add to its national championship win.
OSU was named among the top 10 percent of universities for black students in the country.
This month’s issue of Black Enterprise magazine rated OSU 45th out of 1,000 schools across the nation.
“Ohio State University has always had an exceptional reputation as it relates to diversity,” said Lawrence Williamson, director of the Hale Black Cultural Center.
Williamson said the Office of Minority Affairs tries to bring the top minority students to OSU with scholarships and retention programs.
“OSU is consistently trying to improve,” Williamson said. “I would like to see us maintain this and take it to another level.”
Shakeer Abdullah, graduate associate of African American Student Services, said the number of black graduate and professional students at OSU may have contributed to the rating.
“The number of job opportunities for black graduates helps, as well as the numerous professional associations in the community,” Abdullah said.
The recent ranking of Columbus as the No. 1 city to raise black families by Black Entertainment Television could also be a factor in the rating, he said.
Some students said OSU’s overall diversity makes the difference.
“It’s a good school for all nationalities,” said Cheree Peterson, an undecided freshman. “For black students, it gives us the opportunity to look outside of the box and meet people from all over.”
Kimberly Pernell, a senior in art history, said there’s still work to be done.
“The classes and faculty are still not as diverse as they could be,” she said. “But OSU has made progress in that area and it’s better than it was before.”
OSU’s Multicultural Center, which provides cultural and social programs embracing diversity, plays a large role in serving the various minority populations on campus.
Executive director Christine Ballengee-Morris said the programs have been successful, and being connected to the Ohio Union has helped the center’s growth.
Under a plan called the New Diversity Initiative, the MCC staff is working to investigate the concerns of under-represented student groups.
“The diversity initiatives we are focusing on right now are the Arab-American, Middle Eastern and Muslim students, Appalachian students and students with disabilities,” Ballengee-Morris said.
Stephanie Lynn, NDI graduate associate, said those three groups were chosen because they requested services from the Multicultural Center.
“We’re just trying to do whatever we can to work in the system, to get people what they need and help them be successful,” she said.
